Spring Break
Academic Senate hosts student discussion
Daniel DeBolt
Daily Staff Writer
- Page 1 of 1
The meeting was necessary for the Academic Senate and others to improve the general education program at San Jose State University, explained Annette Nellen, Academic Senate chair.
"We need to hear from students," she said.
The forum, held in Royce Hall, had a relaxed atmosphere and free pizza and soda, with roughly forty people attending.
For many of the students, getting educated meant overcoming their disconnection from the school.
Ashley Raggio, a graduate student in higher education administration and leadership, said she was insecure about going to college at first and wanted to remain invisible.
"I just needed to find those safe places," she said, referring to the support she had found among certain peers and faculty members.
She realized that she had aspirations that were different from what her family wanted for her.
"My family engrained in me that you grow up and you go into sales and marketing," Raggio said.
"I was so passionate about this ancient Chinese literature course," she laughed. "I realized maybe this isn't the right place for me."
"It's about a change of scenery, going to a different part of campus," Raggio said. "You see the same people over and over in your classes for your major. Seeing that there are other things out there is important."
Dennis Jaehne, chair of the communication studies department, wanted to know why some of the students didn't enjoy the classes they had to attend to graduate, even though they seemed to have taken control of their education and were otherwise successful students.
Marie Cadatal, peer mentor and senior double major in psychology and behavioral science, answered from her own experience.
"Teaching style has a lot to do with it," she said, facing the faculty and administration.
"We are not going to feel as passionate about it as we want to if the material is awesome but not well-presented," she said.
Cadatal described taking a meteorology class with an instructor who was great, but when her friends took the same class with a different instructor, they were disappointed.
"Any material can be fun if the person teaching it is engaged in it," she said.
"Instructors play such an important role," Cadatal continued. "You are part of the university; you represent the university to us."
Cynthia Chacon, a psychology graduate student and peer mentor, said she didn't like SJSU when she arrived and didn't know anyone. Seeking out clubs helped her feel like she was part of the university.
"Find your place - it's really important," she said.
For Chacon, being an educated person meant being "open-minded and accepting of diversity and differences."
"Making a difference, even a small difference, in society is part of being an educated person," Catadal said. "I don't think (the act of) going to college actually means (you are) being educated.
"To be honest, I came to SJSU as a default," Cadatal said. "I can say that now because I love this school."
Jessica Gross, a freshman public relations major, said she graduated from a high school in Oregon that was 98 percent white and Christian. Leaving was important for her.
"I feel I am a much more educated person than anyone in my high school," she said. "Visiting different places can make you a more educated person."
Senior sociology major Vanessa Lippack said getting to know SJSU better helped her realize different options for involvement, and she found that sociology was what she was interested in.
Lippack said she has taken it upon herself to make her educational experience valuable.
"I don't think I am getting any less of an education than my friends at UC schools," she said.
"In college, the responsibility is on you," Lippack continued. "The only thing pulling you out of bed in the morning is your own motivation."
Business major Adrian Loftin encouraged students to take different classes and pursue diverse paths now "rather than when you get out in the field and realize you are doing something you are not interested in."
"A degree doesn't get interviewed for the job - the person does," Loftin said.
